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171-407: Franz Peter Schubert ( German: [fʁants ˈpeːtɐ ˈʃuːbɐt] ; 31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a vast oeuvre , including more than 600 secular vocal works (mainly Lieder ), seven complete symphonies , sacred music , operas , incidental music , and

342-496: A "clearer", "cleaner" style that used clearer divisions between parts (notably a clear, single melody accompanied by chords), brighter contrasts, and "tone colors" (achieved by the use of dynamic changes and modulations to more keys). In contrast with the richly layered music of the Baroque era, Classical music moved towards simplicity rather than complexity. In addition, the typical size of orchestras began to increase, giving orchestras

513-473: A Countess of youthful grace, —A pupil of Galt's; in desperate case Young Schubert surrenders himself to another, And fain would avoid such affectionate pother The setbacks of previous years were compensated by the prosperity and happiness of 1825. Publication had been moving more rapidly, the stress of poverty was for a time lightened, and in the summer he had a pleasant holiday in Upper Austria where he

684-457: A booming market for pianos, piano music, and virtuosi to serve as exemplars. Hummel, Beethoven, and Clementi were all renowned for their improvising. The direct influence of the Baroque continued to fade: the figured bass grew less prominent as a means of holding performance together, the performance practices of the mid-18th century continued to die out. However, at the same time, complete editions of Baroque masters began to become available, and

855-552: A brief visit to Graz , Austria, in 1827. In 1826, he dedicated a symphony (D. 944, that later came to be known as the Great C major ) to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde and received an honorarium in return. The String Quartet No. 14 in D minor (D. 810), with the variations on Death and the Maiden , was written during the winter of 1825–1826, and first played on 25 January 1826. Later in

1026-503: A choir scholarship. At the Stadtkonvikt, he was introduced to the overtures and symphonies of Mozart, the symphonies of Joseph Haydn and his younger brother Michael Haydn , and the overtures and symphonies of Beethoven , a composer for whom he developed admiration. His exposure to these and other works, combined with occasional visits to the opera, laid the foundation for a broader musical education. One important musical influence came from

1197-508: A component of aesthetic taste in later decades. The Farewell Symphony , No. 45 in F ♯ minor, exemplifies Haydn's integration of the differing demands of the new style, with surprising sharp turns and a long slow adagio to end the work. In 1772, Haydn completed his Opus 20 set of six string quartets, in which he deployed the polyphonic techniques he had gathered from the previous Baroque era to provide structural coherence capable of holding together his melodic ideas. For some, this marks

1368-554: A considerable number of secular works for two or more voices, namely part songs , choruses and cantatas. He completed eight orchestral overtures and seven complete symphonies, in addition to fragments of six others. While he composed no concertos, he did write three concertante works for violin and orchestra. Schubert wrote a large body of music for solo piano, including eleven incontrovertibly completed sonatas and at least eleven more in varying states of completion, numerous miscellaneous works and many short dances, in addition to producing

1539-481: A different concert on the same day as the premiere of the Overture, his song Der Wanderer (D. 489) was performed. In 1822, Schubert made the acquaintance of both Weber and Beethoven but little came of it in either case; however, Beethoven is said to have acknowledged the younger man's gifts on a few occasions. On his deathbed, Beethoven is said to have looked into some of the younger man's works and exclaimed: "Truly,

1710-419: A few months after we began, that he had no need of any further instruction from me, and that for the future he would make his own way. And in truth his progress in a short period was so great that I was forced to acknowledge in him a master who had completely distanced and outstripped me, and whom I despaired of overtaking. His father gave him his first violin lessons when he was eight years old, training him to

1881-444: A further boost to the string quartet and other small ensemble groupings. It was during this decade that public taste began, increasingly, to recognize that Haydn and Mozart had reached a high standard of composition. By the time Mozart arrived at age 25, in 1781, the dominant styles of Vienna were recognizably connected to the emergence in the 1750s of the early Classical style. By the end of the 1780s, changes in performance practice ,

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2052-531: A hopeless passion for his pupil, the Countess Caroline Esterházy , but the only work that bears a dedication to her is his Fantasia in F minor for piano duet (D. 940). This dedication, however, can only be found in the first edition and not in Schubert's autograph . His friend Eduard von Bauernfeld penned the following verse, which appears to reference Schubert's unrequited sentiments: In love with

2223-425: A keyboard ( harpsichord or organ ) and usually accompanied by a varied group of bass instruments, including cello , double bass , bass viol , and theorbo . One way to trace the decline of the continuo and its figured chords is to examine the disappearance of the term obbligato , meaning a mandatory instrumental part in a work of chamber music . In Baroque compositions, additional instruments could be added to

2394-497: A large audience. Mozart wanted to achieve both. Moreover, Mozart also had a taste for more chromatic chords (and greater contrasts in harmonic language generally), a greater love for creating a welter of melodies in a single work, and a more Italianate sensibility in music as a whole. He found, in Haydn's music and later in his study of the polyphony of J.S. Bach , the means to discipline and enrich his artistic gifts. Mozart rapidly came to

2565-691: A large body of piano and chamber music . His major works include the art songs " Erlkönig ", " Gretchen am Spinnrade ", and " Ave Maria "; the Trout Quintet ; the Symphony No. 8 in B minor ( Unfinished ); the Symphony No. 9 in C major ( Great ); the String Quartet No. 14 in D minor ( Death and the Maiden ); the String Quintet in C major ; the Impromptus for solo piano; the last three piano sonatas ;

2736-490: A large set of works for piano four hands . He also wrote over fifty chamber works, including some fragmentary works. Schubert's sacred output includes seven masses, one oratorio and one requiem, among other mass movements and numerous smaller compositions. He completed only eleven of his twenty stage works. In July 1947 the Austrian composer Ernst Krenek discussed Schubert's style, abashedly admitting that he had at first "shared

2907-585: A man in charge of the school is the headmaster , sometimes spelt as two words, "head master". This name survives in British independent schools but has been replaced by head teacher in most British publicly funded schools, although "headmaster" is often still used colloquially, particularly in grammar schools, and is equivalent to the principal in American schools. The term "headmaster" also survives in some American and Commonwealth independent schools. In such schools,

3078-639: A marked advance in development and maturity of style. He began the ultimately unfinished oratorio Lazarus (D. 689) in February 1820. This was later followed by the hymn "Der 23. Psalm" (D. 706), the octet " Gesang der Geister über den Wassern " (D. 714), the Quartettsatz in C minor (D. 703), the Wanderer Fantasy in C major for piano (D. 760), and additional smaller works. In 1820, two of Schubert's operas were staged: Die Zwillingsbrüder (D. 647) appeared at

3249-401: A more powerful sound. The remarkable development of ideas in " natural philosophy " had already established itself in the public consciousness. In particular, Newton's physics was taken as a paradigm: structures should be well-founded in axioms and be both well-articulated and orderly. This taste for structural clarity began to affect music, which moved away from the layered polyphony of

3420-430: A musical style which emphasized light elegance in place of the Baroque's dignified seriousness and impressive grandeur. Structurally, Classical music generally has a clear musical form , with a well-defined contrast between tonic and dominant , introduced by clear cadences . Dynamics are used to highlight the structural characteristics of the piece. In particular, sonata form and its variants were developed during

3591-399: A piece became more pronounced than before, and the orchestra increased in size, range, and power. The harpsichord was replaced as the main keyboard instrument by the piano (or fortepiano ). Unlike the harpsichord, which plucks strings with quills, pianos strike the strings with leather-covered hammers when the keys are pressed, which enables the performer to play louder or softer (hence

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3762-610: A role in a falling-out with Mayrhofer, with whom he was living at the time. Schubert, who was only a little more than five feet tall, was nicknamed "Schwammerl" by his friends, which Gibbs describes as translating to "Tubby" or "Little Mushroom". "Schwamm" is "mushroom" in the Austrian and Bavarian dialects of German; the ending "-erl" makes it a diminutive. Gibbs also claims he may have occasionally drunk to excess, noting that references to Schubert's heavy drinking "... come not only in later accounts, but also in documents dating from his lifetime." Schubert's compositions of 1819 and 1820 show

3933-409: A role in promoting his music. These, and an increasing circle of friends and musicians, became responsible for promoting, collecting, and, after his death, preserving his work. Heinrich Anschütz wrote in his memoirs that Schubert was an active member of the 1817–1818 Unsinnsgesellschaft (Nonsenses Society), and various scholars agree with this. In late 1817, Schubert's father gained a new position at

4104-492: A school in Rossau , not far from Lichtental. Schubert rejoined his father and reluctantly took up teaching duties there. In early 1818, he applied for membership in the prestigious Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde , intending to gain admission as an accompanist, but also so that his music, especially the songs, could be performed in the evening concerts. He was rejected on the basis that he was "no amateur", although he had been employed as

4275-452: A schoolmaster who is not the head is formally called an "assistant schoolmaster". A range of other terms is derived from "schoolmaster" and "headmaster", including deputy headmaster (the second most senior teacher), senior master and second master (both used in some independent schools instead of deputy headmaster), and housemaster , the schoolmaster in charge of a boarding school house ). Some independent schools use other titles for

4446-567: A schoolteacher at the time and there were professional musicians already among the society's membership. However, he began to gain more notice in the press, and the first public performance of a secular work, an overture performed in February 1818, received praise from the press in Vienna and abroad. Schubert spent the summer of 1818 as a music teacher to the family of Count Johann Karl Esterházy at their château in Zselíz (now Želiezovce , Slovakia). The pay

4617-467: A self-contained section, consisting of clarinets , oboes , flutes and bassoons . While vocal music such as comic opera was popular, great importance was given to instrumental music. The main kinds of instrumental music were the sonata , trio , string quartet , quintet , symphony , concerto (usually for a virtuoso solo instrument accompanied by orchestra), and light pieces such as serenades and divertimentos . Sonata form developed and became

4788-622: A significant amount of music during these years. He completed the Mass in A-flat major , (D. 678) in 1822, and later that year embarked suddenly on a work which, more decisively than almost any other in those years, showed his maturing personal vision, the Symphony in B minor , known as the Unfinished Symphony (D. 759). The reason he left it unfinished – after writing two movements and sketches some way into

4959-416: A single character or movement ("dramatic action"). Thus in the finale of act 2 of Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail , the lovers move "from joy through suspicion and outrage to final reconciliation." Musically speaking, this "dramatic action" required more musical variety. Whereas Baroque music was characterized by seamless flow within individual movements and largely uniform textures, composers after

5130-485: A spur to writing spectacular, idiomatic parts for certain instruments, as in the case of the Mannheim orchestra , or virtuoso solo parts for particularly skilled violinists or flutists. In addition, the appetite by audiences for a continual supply of new music carried over from the Baroque. This meant that works had to be performable with, at best, one or two rehearsals. Even after 1790, Mozart writes about "the rehearsal," with

5301-442: A style which we now call Roccoco , comprising simpler textures and harmonies, and which was "charming, undramatic, and a little empty." As mentioned previously, Carl Philipp Emmanuel sought to increase drama, and his music was "violent, expressive, brilliant, continuously surprising, and often incoherent." And finally Wilhelm Friedemann, J.S. Bach's eldest son, extended Baroque traditions in an idiomatic, unconventional way. At first

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5472-458: A third – continues to be discussed and written about, and it is also remarkable that he did not mention it to any of his friends, even though, as Brian Newbould notes, he must have felt thrilled by what he was achieving. In 1823, Schubert wrote his first large-scale song cycle , Die schöne Müllerin (D. 795), setting poems by Wilhelm Müller . This series, together with the later cycle Winterreise (D. 911, also setting texts of Müller in 1827)

5643-475: A trend to larger orchestras and forced the disbanding or reduction of many theater orchestras. This pressed the Classical style inwards: toward seeking greater ensemble and technical challenges—for example, scattering the melody across woodwinds, or using a melody harmonized in thirds. This process placed a premium on small ensemble music, called chamber music. It also led to a trend for more public performance, giving

5814-409: A vice- Kapellmeister and later Kapellmeister, his output expanded: he composed over forty symphonies in the 1760s alone. And while his fame grew, as his orchestra was expanded and his compositions were copied and disseminated, his voice was only one among many. While some scholars suggest that Haydn was later overshadowed by Mozart and Beethoven, it would be difficult to overstate Haydn's centrality to

5985-1203: A virtuoso solo performer playing a solo work for violin, piano, flute, or another instrument, accompanied by an orchestra. Vocal music, such as songs for a singer and piano (notably the work of Schubert), choral works , and opera (a staged dramatic work for singers and orchestra), was also important during this period. The best-known composers from this period are Joseph Haydn , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Ludwig van Beethoven , and Franz Schubert ; other names in this period include: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach , Johann Christian Bach , Luigi Boccherini , Domenico Cimarosa , Joseph Martin Kraus , Muzio Clementi , Christoph Willibald Gluck , Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf , André Grétry , Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny , Leopold Mozart , Michael Haydn , Giovanni Paisiello , Johann Baptist Wanhal , François-André Danican Philidor , Niccolò Piccinni , Antonio Salieri , Etienne Nicolas Mehul , Georg Christoph Wagenseil , Johann Simon Mayr , Georg Matthias Monn , Johann Gottlieb Graun , Carl Heinrich Graun , Franz Benda , Georg Anton Benda , Johann Georg Albrechtsberger , Mauro Giuliani , Christian Cannabich and

6156-435: A wide variety of forms and genres, including opera, liturgical music , chamber and solo piano music, and symphonic works. Perhaps most familiarly, his adventurousness is reflected in his notably original sense of modulation; for example, the second movement of the String Quintet (D. 956), which is in E major, features a central section in the distant key of F minor. It also appears in unusual choices of instrumentation, as in

6327-454: A young soprano named Therese Grob , daughter of a local silk manufacturer, and wrote several of his liturgical works (including a "Salve Regina" and a "Tantum Ergo") for her; she was also a soloist in the premiere of his Mass No. 1 (D. 105) in September 1814. Schubert wanted to marry her, but was hindered by the harsh marriage-consent law of 1815 requiring an aspiring bridegroom to show he had

6498-537: Is a name mostly used to refer to three composers of the Classical period in late-18th-century Vienna : Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Franz Schubert is occasionally added to the list. In German-speaking countries, the term Wiener Klassik (lit. Viennese classical era/art ) is used. That term is often more broadly applied to the Classical era in music as a whole, as a means to distinguish it from other periods that are colloquially referred to as classical , namely Baroque and Romantic music . The term "Viennese School"

6669-584: Is clearly reflective of the mature Haydn and Mozart, and its instrumentation gave it a weight that had not yet been felt in the grand opera . His contemporary Étienne Méhul extended instrumental effects with his 1790 opera Euphrosine et Coradin , from which followed a series of successes. The final push towards change came from Gaspare Spontini , who was deeply admired by future romantic composers such as Weber, Berlioz and Wagner. The innovative harmonic language of his operas, their refined instrumentation and their "enchained" closed numbers (a structural pattern which

6840-615: Is done, I begin another." During this year, he focused on orchestral and choral works, although he also continued to write Lieder. Much of this work was unpublished, but manuscripts and copies circulated among friends and admirers. In early 1817, Schober introduced Schubert to Johann Michael Vogl , a prominent baritone twenty years Schubert's senior. Vogl, for whom Schubert went on to write a great many songs, became one of Schubert's main proponents in Viennese musical circles. Schubert also met Joseph Hüttenbrenner (brother of Anselm), who also played

7011-571: Is known for compiling the first comprehensive catalogue of Schubert's works. This was first published in English in 1951 ( Schubert Thematic Catalogue ) and subsequently revised for a new edition in German in 1978 ( Franz Schubert: Thematisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke in chronologischer Folge – Franz Schubert: Thematic Catalogue of his Works in Chronological Order). Confusion arose quite early over

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7182-406: Is mainly homophonic , using a clear melody line over a subordinate chordal accompaniment , but counterpoint was by no means forgotten, especially in liturgical vocal music and, later in the period, secular instrumental music. It also makes use of style galant which emphasizes light elegance in place of the Baroque's dignified seriousness and impressive grandeur. Variety and contrast within

7353-481: Is no sense in which they were engaged in a collaborative effort in the sense that one would associate with 20th-century schools such as the Second Viennese School, or Les Six . Nor is there any significant sense in which one composer was "schooled" by another (in the way that Berg and Webern were taught by Schoenberg), though it is true that Beethoven for a time received lessons from Haydn. Attempts to extend

7524-426: Is not a true song cycle like Die schöne Müllerin or Winterreise .) The Great C major symphony is dated 1828, but Schubert scholars believe that this symphony was largely written in 1825–1826 (being referred to while he was on holiday at Gastein in 1825—that work, once considered lost, is now generally seen as an early stage of his C major symphony) and was revised for prospective performance in 1828. The orchestra of

7695-477: Is pointless to guess at what more [Schubert] might have achieved. He did enough; and let them be honoured who have striven and accomplished as he did", and the pianist András Schiff said that: "Schubert lived a very short life, but it was a very concentrated life. In 31 years, he lived more than other people would live in 100 years, and it is needless to speculate what could he have written had he lived another 50 years. It's irrelevant, just like with Mozart: these are

7866-547: Is widely considered one of the pinnacles of Lieder. He also composed the song Du bist die Ruh' ( You are rest and peace , D. 776) during this year. Also in that year, symptoms of syphilis first appeared. In 1824, he wrote the Variations in E minor for flute and piano; Trockne Blumen , a song from the cycle Die schöne Müllerin ; and several string quartets. He also wrote the Sonata in A minor for arpeggione and piano (D. 821) at

8037-512: The Chevalier de Saint-Georges . Beethoven is regarded either as a Romantic composer or a Classical period composer who was part of the transition to the Romantic era. Schubert is also a transitional figure, as were Johann Nepomuk Hummel , Luigi Cherubini , Gaspare Spontini , Gioachino Rossini , Carl Maria von Weber , Jan Ladislav Dussek and Niccolò Paganini . The period is sometimes referred to as

8208-578: The Fantasia in F minor for piano four hands ; the opera Fierrabras ; the incidental music to the play Rosamunde ; and the song cycles Die schöne Müllerin , Winterreise and Schwanengesang . Born in the Himmelpfortgrund suburb of Vienna , Schubert showed uncommon gifts for music from an early age. His father gave him his first violin lessons and his elder brother gave him piano lessons, but Schubert soon exceeded their abilities. In 1808, at

8379-485: The Latin word magister . In England, a schoolmaster was usually a university graduate, and until the 19th century, the only universities were Oxford and Cambridge . Their graduates in almost all subjects graduated as Bachelors of Arts and were then promoted to Masters of Arts ( magister artium ), simply by seniority. The core subject in an English grammar school was Latin. Where a school has more than one schoolmaster,

8550-468: The Sonata in A minor for arpeggione and piano (D. 821), or the unconventional scoring of the Trout Quintet (D. 667) for piano, violin, viola, cello, and double bass, whereas conventional piano quintets are scored for piano and string quartet . Although Schubert was clearly influenced by the Classical sonata forms of Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart, his formal structures and his developments tend to give

8721-526: The Tantum Ergo (D. 962) in the same key, the String Quintet in C major (D. 956), the second "Benedictus" to the Mass in C major (D. 961), the three final piano sonatas (D. 958, D. 959, and D. 960), and the collection 13 Lieder nach Gedichten von Rellstab und Heine for voice and piano, also known as Schwanengesang ( Swan-song , D. 957). (This collection – which includes settings of words by Heinrich Heine , Ludwig Rellstab , and Johann Gabriel Seidl –

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8892-701: The Theater am Kärntnertor on 14 June, and Die Zauberharfe (D. 644) appeared at the Theater an der Wien on 21 August. Hitherto, his larger compositions (apart from his masses) had been restricted to the amateur orchestra at the Gundelhof (Brandstätte 5, Vienna), a society which grew out of the quartet-parties at his home. Now he began to assume a more prominent position, addressing a wider public. Publishers, however, remained distant, with Anton Diabelli hesitantly agreeing to print some of his works on commission. The first seven opus numbers, all songs, appeared on these terms; then

9063-562: The Zentralfriedhof where they are next to the later graves of Johann Strauss II and Johannes Brahms. Anton Bruckner was present at both exhumations, and he reached into both coffins and held the revered skulls in his hands. The cemetery in Währing was converted into a park in 1925, called the Schubert Park, and his former grave site was marked by a bust. His epitaph, written by his friend,

9234-470: The dominant chord , e.g., in the key of C major, modulating to G major). This introduced darker colors to music, strengthened the minor mode, and made structure harder to maintain. Beethoven contributed to this by his increasing use of the fourth as a consonance , and modal ambiguity—for example, the opening of the Symphony No. 9 in D minor . Ludwig van Beethoven , Franz Schubert , Carl Maria von Weber , Johann Nepomuk Hummel , and John Field are among

9405-475: The numbering of Schubert's late symphonies . Schubert's last completed symphony, the Great C major D 944 , was assigned the numbers 7, 8, 9 and 10, depending on publication. Similarly the Unfinished D ;759 has been indicated with the numbers 7, 8, and 9. The order usually followed for these late symphonies by English-language sources is: An even broader confusion arose over the numbering of

9576-430: The pianoforte replaced the harpsichord , enabling more dynamic contrast and more sustained melodies. Over the Classical period, keyboard instruments became richer, more sonorous and more powerful. The orchestra increased in size and range, and became more standardised. The harpsichord or pipe organ basso continuo role in orchestra fell out of use between 1750 and 1775, leaving the string section. Woodwinds became

9747-533: The string quartet became a prominent genre. The symphony form for orchestra was created in this period (this is popularly attributed to Joseph Haydn ). The concerto grosso (a concerto for more than one musician), a very popular form in the Baroque era, began to be replaced by the solo concerto , featuring only one soloist. Composers began to place more importance on the particular soloist's ability to show off virtuoso skills, with challenging, fast scale and arpeggio runs. Nonetheless, some concerti grossi remained,

9918-471: The "prince of song", although there was recognition of some of his larger-scale efforts. In 1838 Robert Schumann , on a visit to Vienna, found the dusty manuscript of the C major Symphony (D. 944) and took it back to Leipzig where it was performed by Felix Mendelssohn and celebrated in the Neue Zeitschrift . An important step towards the recovery of the neglected works was the journey to Vienna which

10089-412: The 1860s, 50 instalments with songs published by Diabelli and dozens of first publications Peters ), but the manuscripts of many of the longer works, whose existence was not widely known, remained hidden in cabinets and file boxes of Schubert's family, friends, and publishers. Even some of Schubert's friends were unaware of the full scope of what he wrote, and for many years he was primarily recognized as

10260-426: The 18th century progressed well, the nobility became the primary patrons of instrumental music, while public taste increasingly preferred lighter, funny comic operas . This led to changes in the way music was performed, the most crucial of which was the move to standard instrumental groups and the reduction in the importance of the continuo —the rhythmic and harmonic groundwork of a piece of music, typically played by

10431-558: The Baroque and most clearly influenced Mozart; and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach , who composed passionate and sometimes violently eccentric music of the Empfindsamkeit movement. Musical culture was caught at a crossroads: the masters of the older style had the technique, but the public hungered for the new. This is one of the reasons C. P. E. Bach was held in such high regard: he understood the older forms quite well and knew how to present them in new garb, with an enhanced variety of form. By

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10602-433: The Baroque period toward a style known as homophony , in which the melody is played over a subordinate harmony . This move meant that chords became a much more prevalent feature of music, even if they interrupted the melodic smoothness of a single part. As a result, the tonal structure of a piece of music became more audible . The new style was also encouraged by changes in the economic order and social structure. As

10773-401: The Classical era, it became more common for composers to indicate where they wanted performers to play ornaments such as trills or turns. The simplification of texture made such instrumental detail more important, and alit so made the use of characteristic rhythms, such as attention-getting opening fanfares, the funeral march rhythm, or the minuet genre, more important in establishing and unifying

10944-609: The First Viennese School to include such later figures as Anton Bruckner , Johannes Brahms , and Gustav Mahler are merely journalistic, and never encountered in academic musicology. According to scholar James F. Daugherty, the Classical period itself from approximately 1775 to 1825 is sometimes referred to as "the Viennese Classic period". Musical eras and their prevalent styles, forms and instruments seldom disappear at once; instead, features are replaced over time, until

11115-440: The Gesellschaft reportedly read through the symphony at a rehearsal, but never scheduled a public performance of it. The reasons continue to be unknown, although the difficulty of the symphony is a possible explanation. In the last weeks of his life, he began to sketch three movements for a new Symphony in D major (D 936A); In this work, he anticipates Mahler 's use of folksong-like harmonics and bare soundscapes. Schubert expressed

11286-622: The High Baroque period, dramatic expression was limited to the representation of individual affects (the "doctrine of affections", or what Rosen terms "dramatic sentiment"). For example, in Handel's oratorio Jephtha , the composer renders four emotions separately, one for each character, in the quartet "O, spare your daughter". Eventually this depiction of individual emotions came to be seen as simplistic and unrealistic; composers sought to portray multiple emotions, simultaneously or progressively, within

11457-422: The High Baroque sought to interrupt this flow with abrupt changes in texture, dynamic, harmony, or tempo. Among the stylistic developments which followed the High Baroque, the most dramatic came to be called Empfindsamkeit , (roughly " sensitive style "), and its best-known practitioner was Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach . Composers of this style employed the above-discussed interruptions in the most abrupt manner, and

11628-466: The Schubert melody is not an original setting. The original only opens with the greeting "Ave Maria", which also recurs only in the refrain. In 1825, Schubert also wrote the Piano Sonata in A minor (D 845, first published as op. 42), and began the Symphony in C major ( Great C major , D. 944), which was completed the following year. From 1826 to 1828, Schubert resided continuously in Vienna, except for

11799-535: The aforementioned indirect references by his friends, and uncritically repeated ever since. Schubert was buried, at his own request, near the grave of Beethoven, whom he had admired all his life, in the village cemetery of Währing on the edge of the Vienna Woods . A year earlier he had served as a torchbearer at Beethoven's funeral . In 1872, a memorial to Franz Schubert was erected in Vienna's Stadtpark . In 1888, both Schubert's and Beethoven's graves were moved to

11970-675: The aftermath of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars , were on their guard against revolutionary activities and suspicious of any gathering of youth or students. One of Schubert's friends, Johann Senn , was put on trial, imprisoned for over a year, and then permanently forbidden to enter Vienna. The other four, including Schubert, were "severely reprimanded", in part for "inveighing against [officials] with insulting and opprobrious language". While Schubert never saw Senn again, he did set some of his poems, Selige Welt (D. 743) and Schwanengesang (D 744), to music. The incident may have played

12141-457: The age of eleven, he became a pupil at the Stadtkonvikt school, where he became acquainted with the orchestral music of Joseph Haydn , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , and Ludwig van Beethoven . He left the Stadtkonvikt at the end of 1813 and returned home to live with his father, where he began studying to become a schoolteacher. Despite this, he continued his studies in composition with Antonio Salieri and still composed prolifically. In 1821, Schubert

12312-403: The age of five, Schubert began to receive regular lessons from his father, and a year later he was enrolled at his father's school. Although it is not known exactly when he received his first musical instruction, he was given piano lessons by his brother Ignaz, but they lasted for a very short time as Schubert excelled him within a few months. Ignaz later recalled: I was amazed when Franz told me,

12483-448: The attention of Haydn, who hailed the new composer, studied his works, and considered the younger man his only true peer in music. In Mozart, Haydn found a greater range of instrumentation, dramatic effect and melodic resource. The learning relationship moved in both directions. Mozart also had a great respect for the older, more experienced composer, and sought to learn from him. Mozart's arrival in Vienna in 1780 brought an acceleration in

12654-409: The balance of availability and quality of musicians. While in the late Baroque, a major composer would have the entire musical resources of a town to draw on, the musical forces available at an aristocratic hunting lodge or small court were smaller and more fixed in their level of ability. This was a spur to having simpler parts for ensemble musicians to play, and in the case of a resident virtuoso group,

12825-468: The beginning of the "mature" Classical style, a transitional period in which reaction against late Baroque complexity yielded to integration of Baroque and Classical elements. Haydn, having worked for over a decade as the music director for a prince, had far more resources and scope for composing than most other composers. His position also gave him the ability to shape the forces that would play his music, as he could select skilled musicians. This opportunity

12996-421: The big textural changes was a shift away from the complex, dense polyphonic style of the Baroque, in which multiple interweaving melodic lines were played simultaneously, and towards homophony , a lighter texture which uses a clear single melody line accompanied by chords. Baroque music generally uses many harmonic fantasies and polyphonic sections that focus less on the structure of the musical piece, and there

13167-477: The chief credit of originating the short models of piano forte pieces which the romantic school has preferably cultivated.... Schubert created a new epoch with the Lied.... All other songwriters have followed in his footsteps." When Schubert died he had around 100 opus numbers published, mainly songs, chamber music and smaller piano compositions. Publication of smaller pieces continued (including opus numbers up to 173 in

13338-531: The commission ceased, and he began to receive parsimonious royalties. The situation improved somewhat in March 1821 when Vogl performed the song " Erlkönig " (D. 328) at a concert that was extremely well received. That month, Schubert composed a Variation on a Waltz by Diabelli (D 718), being one of the fifty composers who contributed to the Vaterländischer Künstlerverein publication. The production of

13509-767: The complex passage work and extended statements on tonic and dominant. When Haydn and Mozart began composing, symphonies were played as single movements—before, between, or as interludes within other works—and many of them lasted only ten or twelve minutes; instrumental groups had varying standards of playing, and the continuo was a central part of music-making. In the intervening years, the social world of music had seen dramatic changes. International publication and touring had grown explosively, and concert societies formed. Notation became more specific, more descriptive—and schematics for works had been simplified (yet became more varied in their exact working out). In 1790, just before Mozart's death, with his reputation spreading rapidly, Haydn

13680-402: The continuo group according to the group or leader's preference; in Classical compositions, all parts were specifically noted, though not always notated , so the term "obbligato" became redundant. By 1800, basso continuo was practically extinct, except for the occasional use of a pipe organ continuo part in a religious Mass in the early 1800s. Economic changes also had the effect of altering

13851-513: The course of the Classical period, symphonies and concertos developed and were presented independently of vocal music. The "normal" orchestra ensemble—a body of strings supplemented by winds—and movements of particular rhythmic character were established by the late 1750s in Vienna. However, the length and weight of pieces was still set with some Baroque characteristics: individual movements still focused on one "affect" (musical mood) or had only one sharply contrasting middle section, and their length

14022-492: The depiction of the spinning wheel and treadle in the piano in "Gretchen" and the furious and ceaseless gallop in " Erlkönig ". He composed music using the poems of myriad poets, with Goethe, Mayrhofer , and Schiller the most frequent, and others, including Heinrich Heine , Friedrich Rückert , and Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff . Of particular note are his two song cycles on the poems of Wilhelm Müller , Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise , which helped to establish

14193-445: The development of the Classical style. There, Mozart absorbed the fusion of Italianate brilliance and Germanic cohesiveness that had been brewing for the previous 20 years. His own taste for flashy brilliances, rhythmically complex melodies and figures, long cantilena melodies, and virtuoso flourishes was merged with an appreciation for formal coherence and internal connectedness. It is at this point that war and economic inflation halted

14364-418: The early classical period and was frequently used. The Classical approach to structure again contrasts with the Baroque, where a composition would normally move between tonic and dominant and back again , but through a continual progress of chord changes and without a sense of "arrival" at the new key. While counterpoint was less emphasised in the classical period, it was by no means forgotten, especially later in

14535-597: The end of 1813, Schubert left the Stadtkonvikt and returned home for teacher training at the St Anna Normal- hauptschule . In 1814, he entered his father's school as the teacher of the youngest pupils. For over two years, young Schubert endured severe drudgery. However, he found compensatory interests during this time. For example, Schubert continued to take private lessons in composition from Salieri, who provided him with more technical training than any of his other teachers, until they parted ways in 1817. In 1814, Schubert met

14706-534: The era of Viennese Classicism (German: Wiener Klassik ), since Gluck, Haydn, Salieri, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert all worked in Vienna . In the middle of the 18th century, Europe began to move toward a new style in architecture , literature, and the arts, generally known as Neoclassicism . This style sought to emulate the ideals of Classical antiquity , especially those of Classical Greece . Classical music used formality and emphasis on order and hierarchy and

14877-426: The family string quartet, with his brothers Ferdinand and Ignaz on first and second violin and his father on the cello . Schubert wrote his earliest string quartets for this ensemble. Young Schubert first came to the attention of Antonio Salieri , then Vienna's leading musical authority, in 1804, when his vocal talent was recognized. In November 1808, he became a pupil at the Stadtkonvikt (Imperial Seminary) through

15048-524: The first series containing eight symphonies. The publication of the Neue Schubert-Ausgabe by Bärenreiter started in the second half of the 20th century. Since relatively few of Schubert's works were published in his lifetime, only a small number of them have opus numbers assigned, and even in those cases, the sequence of the numbers does not give a good indication of the order of composition. Austrian musicologist Otto Erich Deutsch (1883–1967)

15219-401: The genre and its potential for musical, poetic, and almost operatic dramatic narrative. His last collection of songs, published in 1828 after his death, Schwanengesang , is also an innovative contribution to German Lieder literature, as it features poems by different poets, namely Ludwig Rellstab , Heine, and Johann Gabriel Seidl . The Wiener Theaterzeitung , writing about Winterreise at

15390-408: The great classical composers (Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven) was their ability to make these dramatic surprises sound logically motivated, so that "the expressive and the elegant could join hands." Between the death of J. S. Bach and the maturity of Haydn and Mozart (roughly 1750–1770), composers experimented with these new ideas, which can be seen in the music of Bach's sons. Johann Christian developed

15561-494: The harpsichord to play basso continuo until the practice was discontinued by the end of the 1700s. One crucial change was the shift towards harmonies centering on "flatward" keys: shifts in the subdominant direction . In the Classical style, major key was far more common than minor, chromaticism being moderated through the use of "sharpward" modulation (e.g., a piece in C major modulating to G major, D major, or A major, all of which are keys with more sharps). As well, sections in

15732-516: The head of the teaching staff, including "High Master" and "Rector". The female equivalent of "schoolmaster" is schoolmistress , which is used with all the same prefixes. The archaic term for the second schoolmaster in a school in England is usher . The term schoolmaster was once commonly two words, and the spelling has varied. Roger Ascham 's book The Scholemaster Or a Plaine and Perfite Way of Teachyng Children, to Understand, Write and Speake

15903-408: The implication that his concerts would have only one rehearsal. Since there was a greater emphasis on a single melodic line, there was greater emphasis on notating that line for dynamics and phrasing. This contrasts with the Baroque era, when melodies were typically written with no dynamics, phrasing marks, ornaments, as it was assumed that the performer would improvise these elements on the spot. In

16074-448: The impression more of melodic development than of harmonic drama. This combination of Classical form and long-breathed Romantic melody sometimes lends them a discursive style: his Great C Major Symphony was described by Robert Schumann as running to "heavenly lengths". It was in the genre of the lied that Schubert made his most indelible mark. Leon Plantinga remarks that "in his more than six hundred Lieder he explored and expanded

16245-436: The influence of Baroque style continued to grow, particularly in the ever more expansive use of brass. Another feature of the period is the growing number of performances where the composer was not present. This led to increased detail and specificity in notation; for example, there were fewer "optional" parts that stood separately from the main score. The force of these shifts became apparent with Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, given

16416-492: The late 1750s there were flourishing centers of the new style in Italy, Vienna, Mannheim, and Paris; dozens of symphonies were composed and there were bands of players associated with musical theatres. Opera or other vocal music accompanied by orchestra was the feature of most musical events, with concertos and symphonies (arising from the overture ) serving as instrumental interludes and introductions for operas and church services. Over

16587-445: The major genres of the day: opera, and the virtuoso concerto. Whereas Haydn spent much of his working life as a court composer, Mozart wanted public success in the concert life of cities, playing for the general public. This meant he needed to write operas and write and perform virtuoso pieces. Haydn was not a virtuoso at the international touring level; nor was he seeking to create operatic works that could play for many nights in front of

16758-477: The means to support a family. In November 1816, after failing to gain a musical post in Laibach (now Ljubljana , Slovenia ), Schubert sent Ms. Grob's brother Heinrich a collection of songs, which was retained by the family into the twentieth century. One of Schubert's most prolific years was 1815. He composed over 20,000 bars of music, more than half of which were for orchestra, including nine church works (although he

16929-437: The meantime, Schubert's talent began to show in his compositions; Salieri decided to start training him privately in music theory and composition. According to Ferdinand, the boy's first composition for piano was a Fantasy for four hands ; his first song, Klagegesang der Hagar , was written a year later. Schubert was occasionally permitted to lead the Stadtkonvikt's orchestra, the first orchestra he wrote for. He devoted much of

17100-504: The members of the Gesellschaft, most notably Ignaz von Sonnleithner and his son Leopold von Sonnleithner , had a sizeable influence on the affairs of the society, and as a result of that and of Schubert's growing reputation, his works were included in three major concerts of the Gesellschaft in 1821. In April, one of his male-voice quartets was performed, and in November, his Overture in E minor (D. 648) received its first public performance; at

17271-411: The minor mode were often used for contrast. Beginning with Mozart and Clementi, there began a creeping colonization of the subdominant region (the ii or IV chord, which in the key of C major would be the keys of d minor or F major). With Schubert, subdominant modulations flourished after being introduced in contexts in which earlier composers would have confined themselves to dominant shifts (modulations to

17442-570: The more serious style that Mozart and Haydn had formed is Muzio Clementi , a gifted virtuoso pianist who tied with Mozart in a musical "duel" before the emperor in which they each improvised on the piano and performed their compositions. Clementi's sonatas for the piano circulated widely, and he became the most successful composer in London during the 1780s. Also in London at this time was Jan Ladislav Dussek , who, like Clementi, encouraged piano makers to extend

17613-520: The most famous of which was Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola in E-flat major . In the classical period, the theme consists of phrases with contrasting melodic figures and rhythms . These phrases are relatively brief, typically four bars in length, and can occasionally seem sparse or terse. The texture is mainly homophonic , with a clear melody above a subordinate chordal accompaniment , for instance an Alberti bass . This contrasts with

17784-408: The most important form. It was used to build up the first movement of most large-scale works in symphonies and string quartets . Sonata form was also used in other movements and in single, standalone pieces such as overtures . In his book The Classical Style , author and pianist Charles Rosen claims that from 1755 to 1775, composers groped for a new style that was more effectively dramatic. In

17955-437: The most important kinds of music for performance and hence enjoyed greatest public success. The phase between the Baroque and the rise of the Classical (around 1730), was home to various competing musical styles. The diversity of artistic paths are represented in the sons of Johann Sebastian Bach : Wilhelm Friedemann Bach , who continued the Baroque tradition in a personal way; Johann Christian Bach , who simplified textures of

18126-581: The most prominent in this generation of "Proto-Romantics", along with the young Felix Mendelssohn . Their sense of form was strongly influenced by the Classical style. While they were not yet "learned" composers (imitating rules which were codified by others), they directly responded to works by Haydn, Mozart, Clementi, and others, as they encountered them. The instrumental forces at their disposal in orchestras were also quite "Classical" in number and variety, permitting similarity with Classical works. Schoolmaster The word "master" in this context translates

18297-430: The music can sound illogical at times. The Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti took these developments further. His more than five hundred single-movement keyboard sonatas also contain abrupt changes of texture, but these changes are organized into periods, balanced phrases that became a hallmark of the classical style. However, Scarlatti's changes in texture still sound sudden and unprepared. The outstanding achievement of

18468-429: The music flows smoothly and without obvious interruption. He then took this integrated style and began applying it to orchestral and vocal music. Haydn's gift to music was a way of composing, a way of structuring works, which was at the same time in accord with the governing aesthetic of the new style. However, a younger contemporary, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , brought his genius to Haydn's ideas and applied them to two of

18639-591: The music historian George Grove and the composer Arthur Sullivan made in October 1867. The travellers unearthed the manuscripts of six of the symphonies, parts of the incidental music to Rosamunde , the Mass No. 1 in F major (D. 105), and the operas Des Teufels Lustschloss (D. 84), Fernardo (D. 220), Der vierjährige Posten (D. 190), and Die Freunde von Salamanka (D. 326), and several other unnamed works. With these discoveries, Grove and Sullivan were able to inform

18810-454: The name Eroica , which is Italian for "heroic", by the composer. As with Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring , it may not have been the first in all of its innovations, but its aggressive use of every part of the Classical style set it apart from its contemporary works: in length, ambition, and harmonic resources as well making it the first symphony of the Romantic era . The First Viennese School

18981-524: The new style took over Baroque forms—the ternary da capo aria , the sinfonia and the concerto —but composed with simpler parts, more notated ornamentation, rather than the improvised ornaments that were common in the Baroque era, and more emphatic division of pieces into sections. However, over time, the new aesthetic caused radical changes in how pieces were put together, and the basic formal layouts changed. Composers from this period sought dramatic effects, striking melodies, and clearer textures. One of

19152-428: The new style, and therefore to the future of Western art music as a whole. At the time, before the pre-eminence of Mozart or Beethoven, and with Johann Sebastian Bach known primarily to connoisseurs of keyboard music, Haydn reached a place in music that set him above all other composers except perhaps the Baroque era's George Frideric Handel . Haydn took existing ideas, and radically altered how they functioned—earning him

19323-404: The old approach is simply felt as "old-fashioned". The Classical style did not "die" suddenly; rather, it gradually got phased out under the weight of changes. To give just one example, while it is generally stated that the Classical era stopped using the harpsichord in orchestras, this did not happen all of a sudden at the start of the Classical era in 1750. Rather, orchestras slowly stopped using

19494-433: The original name "fortepiano," literally "loud soft") and play with more expression; in contrast, the force with which a performer plays the harpsichord keys does not change the sound. Instrumental music was considered important by Classical period composers. The main kinds of instrumental music were the sonata , trio , string quartet , quintet , symphony (performed by an orchestra), and the solo concerto , which featured

19665-489: The past. Eva M. Cybulska goes further and says that Schubert's syphilis is a conjecture. His multi-system signs and symptoms, she says, could point at a number of different illness such as leukaemia , anaemia , or Hashimoto's thyroiditis , and that many tell-tale signs of syphilis — chancre , mucous plaques, rash on the thorax, pupil abnormality, dysgraphia — were absent. She argues that the syphilis diagnosis originated with Schubert's biographer Otto Deutsch in 1907, based on

19836-410: The period, and composers still used counterpoint in "serious" works such as symphonies and string quartets, as well as religious pieces, such as Masses. The classical musical style was supported by technical developments in instruments. The widespread adoption of equal temperament made classical musical structure possible, by ensuring that cadences in all keys sounded similar. The fortepiano and then

20007-490: The pianist Radu Lupu , who said: "[Schubert] is the composer for whom I am really most sorry that he died so young. ... Just before he died, when he wrote his beautiful two-cello String Quintet in C, he said very modestly that he was trying to learn a little more about counterpoint, and he was perfectly right. We'll never know in what direction he was going or would have gone." However, others have expressed disagreement with this early view. For instance, Robert Schumann said: "It

20178-589: The piano sonatas , with numbering systems ranging from 15 to 23 sonatas. Among pianos Schubert had access to were a Benignus Seidner piano (now displayed at the Schubert Geburtshaus in Vienna) and an Anton Walter & Sohn piano (today in the collection of the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum ). Schubert was also familiar with instruments by Viennese piano builder Conrad Graf . He appreciated

20349-466: The poet Franz Grillparzer , reads: Die Tonkunst begrub hier einen reichen Besitz, aber noch viel schönere Hoffnungen ("The art of music has here interred a precious treasure, but yet far fairer hopes"). Schubert was remarkably prolific, writing over 1,500 works in his short career. His compositional style progressed rapidly throughout his life. The largest number of his compositions are songs for solo voice and piano (roughly 630). Schubert also composed

20520-481: The point where he could play easy duets proficiently. Soon after, Schubert was given his first lessons outside the family by Michael Holzer, organist and choirmaster of the local parish church in Lichtental. Holzer would often assure Schubert's father, with tears in his eyes, that he had never had such a pupil as Schubert, and the lessons may have largely consisted of conversations and expressions of admiration. Holzer gave

20691-548: The points of modulation and transition. By making these moments where the harmony changes more of a focus, he enabled powerful dramatic shifts in the emotional color of the music. To highlight these transitions, he used changes in instrumentation ( orchestration ), melody, and mode . Among the most successful composers of his time, Gluck spawned many emulators, including Antonio Salieri . Their emphasis on accessibility brought huge successes in opera, and in other vocal music such as songs, oratorios, and choruses. These were considered

20862-414: The potential these early nineteenth-century instruments possessed for both intimate and extrovert, virtuosic playing. A feeling of regret for the loss of potential masterpieces caused by Schubert's early death at age 31 was expressed in the epitaph on his large tombstone written by Grillparzer: "Here music has buried a treasure, but even fairer hopes." Some prominent musicians share a similar view, including

21033-525: The potentialities of the genre, as no composer before him." Prior to Schubert's influence, Lieder tended toward a strophic , syllabic treatment of text, evoking the folksong qualities engendered by the stirrings of Romantic nationalism . Among Schubert's treatments of the poetry of Goethe , his settings of " Gretchen am Spinnrade " (D. 118) and " Der Erlkönig " (D. 328) are particularly striking for their dramatic content, forward-looking uses of harmony, and use of eloquent pictorial keyboard figurations, such as

21204-452: The practice in Baroque music , where a piece or movement would typically have only one musical subject, which would then be worked out in a number of voices according to the principles of counterpoint , while maintaining a consistent rhythm or metre throughout. As a result, Classical music tends to have a lighter, clearer texture than the Baroque. The classical style draws on the style galant ,

21375-490: The public of the existence of these works; in addition, they were able to copy the fourth and sixth symphonies, the Rosamunde incidental music, and the overture to Die Freunde von Salamanka . This led to more widespread public interest in Schubert's work. From 1884 to 1897, Breitkopf & Härtel published Franz Schubert's Works , a critical edition including a contribution made – among others – by Johannes Brahms , editor of

21546-558: The range and other features of their instruments, and then fully exploited the newly opened up possibilities. The importance of London in the Classical period is often overlooked, but it served as the home to the Broadwood's factory for piano manufacturing and as the base for composers who, while less notable than the "Vienna School", had a decisive influence on what came later. They were composers of many fine works, notable in their own right. London's taste for virtuosity may well have encouraged

21717-423: The relative standing of instrumental and vocal music, technical demands on musicians, and stylistic unity had become established in the composers who imitated Mozart and Haydn. During this decade Mozart composed his most famous operas, his six late symphonies that helped to redefine the genre, and a string of piano concerti that still stand at the pinnacle of these forms. One composer who was influential in spreading

21888-449: The rest of his time at the Stadtkonvikt to composing chamber music, several songs, piano pieces and, more ambitiously, liturgical choral works in the form of a "Salve Regina" (D 27), a "Kyrie" (D 31), in addition to the unfinished "Octet for Winds" (D 72, said to commemorate the 1812 death of his mother), the cantata Wer ist groß? for male voices and orchestra (D 110, for his father's birthday in 1813), and his first symphony (D 82). At

22059-561: The same day, the former at a tavern where he broke his afternoon's walk, the latter on his return to his lodging in the evening. The works of his last two years reveal a composer entering a new professional and compositional stage. Although parts of Schubert's personality were influenced by his friends, he nurtured an intensely personal dimension in solitude; it was out of this dimension that he wrote his greatest music. The death of Beethoven affected Schubert deeply, and may have motivated Schubert to reach new artistic peaks. In 1827, Schubert wrote

22230-435: The shift from "vocal" writing to "pianistic" writing, the growing pull of the minor and of modal ambiguity, and the increasing importance of varying accompanying figures to bring "texture" forward as an element in music. In short, the late Classical was seeking music that was internally more complex. The growth of concert societies and amateur orchestras, marking the importance of music as part of middle-class life, contributed to

22401-560: The son of a Moravian peasant, was a well-known parish schoolmaster , and his school in Lichtental (in Vienna's ninth district ) had numerous students in attendance. He came to Vienna from Zuckmantel in 1784 and was appointed schoolmaster two years later. His mother was the daughter of a Silesian master locksmith and had been a housemaid for a Viennese family before marriage. Of Franz Theodor and Elisabeth's fourteen children (one of them illegitimate, born in 1783), nine died in infancy. At

22572-510: The song cycle Winterreise (D. 911), the Fantasy in C major for violin and piano (D. 934, first published as op. post. 159), the Impromptus for piano, and the two piano trios ( the first in B-flat major (D. 898), and the second in E-flat major, (D. 929); in 1828 the cantata Mirjams Siegesgesang ( Victory Song of Miriam , D 942) on a text by Franz Grillparzer , the Mass in E-flat major (D. 950),

22743-421: The songs by Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg , an important composer of Lieder . The precocious young student "wanted to modernize" Zumsteeg's songs, as reported by Joseph von Spaun , Schubert's friend. Schubert's friendship with Spaun began at the Stadtkonvikt and lasted throughout his short life. In those early days, the financially well-off Spaun furnished the impoverished Schubert with much of his manuscript paper. In

22914-406: The spark of divine genius resides in this Schubert!" Beethoven also reportedly predicted that Schubert "would make a great sensation in the world," and regretted that he had not been more familiar with him earlier; he wished to see his operas and works for piano, but his severe illness prevented him from doing so. Despite his preoccupation with the stage and subsequent official duties, Schubert wrote

23085-532: The symptoms of his final illness do not correspond with tertiary syphilis. Six weeks before his death, he walked 42 miles in three days, ruling out musculoskeletal syphilis. In the month of his death, he composed his last work, " Der Hirt auf dem Felsen ", making neurosyphilis unlikely. And meningovascular syphilis is unlikely because it presents a progressive stroke-like picture, and Schubert had no neurological manifestation until his final delirium, which started only two days before his death. Lastly, his final illness

23256-584: The time when there was a minor craze over that instrument. In the spring of that year, he wrote the Octet in F major (D. 803), a sketch for a "Grand Symphony," and in the summer went back to Zseliz . There he became attracted to Hungarian musical idiom and wrote the Divertissement à la hongroise in G minor for piano duet (D. 818) and the String Quartet in A minor Rosamunde (D. 804). It has been said that he held

23427-410: The time, commented that it was a work that "none can sing or hear without being deeply moved". Antonín Dvořák wrote in 1894 that Schubert, whom he considered one of the truly great composers, was clearly influential on shorter works, especially Lieder and shorter piano works: "The tendency of the romantic school has been toward short forms, and although Weber helped to show the way, to Schubert belongs

23598-670: The titles "father of the symphony " and "father of the string quartet ". One of the forces that worked as an impetus for his pressing forward was the first stirring of what would later be called Romanticism —the Sturm und Drang , or "storm and stress" phase in the arts, a short period where obvious and dramatic emotionalism was a stylistic preference. Haydn accordingly wanted more dramatic contrast and more emotionally appealing melodies, with sharpened character and individuality in his pieces. This period faded away in music and literature: however, it influenced what came afterward and would eventually be

23769-401: The tone of a single movement. The Classical period also saw the gradual development of sonata form , a set of structural principles for music that reconciled the Classical preference for melodic material with harmonic development, which could be applied across musical genres. The sonata itself continued to be the principal form for solo and chamber music, while later in the Classical period,

23940-431: The two natural geniuses of music." Classical period (music) The Classical Period was an era of classical music between roughly 1750 and 1820. The classical period falls between the Baroque and Romantic periods. Classical music has a lighter, clearer texture than Baroque music but a more varying use of musical form , which is, in simpler terms, the rhythm and organization of any given piece of music. It

24111-428: The two operas turned Schubert's attention more firmly than ever in the direction of the stage, where, for a variety of reasons, he was almost completely unsuccessful. All in all, he embarked on twenty stage projects, each of them failures that were quickly forgotten. In 1822, Alfonso und Estrella was rejected, partly owing to its libretto, written by Schubert's friend Franz von Schober . In 1823, Fierrabras (D 796)

24282-409: The vanguard of a broad change in style and the center of music. They studied one another's works, copied one another's gestures in music, and on occasion behaved like quarrelsome rivals. The crucial differences with the previous wave can be seen in the downward shift in melodies, increasing durations of movements, the acceptance of Mozart and Haydn as paradigmatic, the greater use of keyboard resources,

24453-451: The wide-spread opinion that Schubert was a lucky inventor of pleasing tunes ... lacking the dramatic power and searching intelligence which distinguished such 'real' masters as J. S. Bach or Beethoven". Krenek wrote that he reached a completely different assessment after a close study of Schubert's pieces at the urging of his friend and fellow composer Eduard Erdmann . Krenek pointed to the piano sonatas as giving "ample evidence that [Schubert]

24624-408: The wish, were he to survive his final illness, to further develop his knowledge of harmony and counterpoint, and had actually made appointments for lessons with the counterpoint master Simon Sechter . On 26 March 1828, the anniversary of Beethoven's death, Schubert gave, for the only time in his career, a public concert of his own works. The concert was a success popularly and financially, although it

24795-447: The year came the String Quartet No. 15 in G major, (D 887, first published as op. 161), the Rondo in B minor for violin and piano (D. 895), Rondeau brillant , and the Piano Sonata in G major , (D 894, first published as Fantasie in G , op. 78). He also produced in 1826 three Shakespearian songs, of which " Ständchen " (D. 889) and " An Sylvia " (D. 891) were allegedly written on

24966-501: The young Schubert instruction in piano and organ as well as in figured bass . According to Holzer, however, he did not give him any real instruction as Schubert would already know anything that he tried to teach him; rather, he looked upon Schubert with "astonishment and silence". The boy seemed to gain more from an acquaintance with a friendly apprentice joiner who took him to a neighbouring pianoforte warehouse where Schubert could practise on better instruments. He also played viola in

25137-488: Was Johann Nepomuk Hummel . Hummel studied under Haydn as well; he was a friend to Beethoven and Franz Schubert . He concentrated more on the piano than any other instrument, and his time in London in 1791 and 1792 generated the composition and publication in 1793 of three piano sonatas, opus 2, which idiomatically used Mozart's techniques of avoiding the expected cadence, and Clementi's sometimes modally uncertain virtuoso figuration. Taken together, these composers can be seen as

25308-467: Was "chasing women". The theory of Schubert's sexuality or "Schubert as Other" has continued to influence current scholarship. Biographer Lorraine Byrne Bodley is sceptical "...of Solomon’s "outing" of Schubert, saying this misunderstands the passionate "homosocial" friendships of 19th-century Europe." Significant changes occurred in Schubert's life in 1816 when Schober, a student from an affluent family, invited him to lodge at his mother's house. The proposal

25479-621: Was Beethoven's String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131 ; Holz commented: "The King of Harmony has sent the King of Song a friendly bidding to the crossing". Schubert died in Vienna, aged 31, on 19 November 1828, at the apartment of his brother Ferdinand. The cause of his death was officially diagnosed as typhoid fever, though other theories have been proposed, including the tertiary stage of syphilis . Although there are accounts by his friends that indirectly imply that he had contracted syphilis earlier,

25650-487: Was admitted to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde as a performing member, which helped establish his name among the Viennese citizenry. He gave a concert of his works to critical acclaim in March 1828, the only time he did so in his career. He died eight months later at the age of 31, the cause officially attributed to typhoid fever , but believed by some historians to be syphilis . Appreciation of Schubert's music while he

25821-470: Was alive was limited to a relatively small circle of admirers in Vienna, but interest in his work increased greatly in the decades following his death. Felix Mendelssohn , Robert Schumann , Franz Liszt , Johannes Brahms and other 19th-century composers discovered and championed his works. Today, Schubert is considered one of the greatest composers in the history of Western classical music and his music continues to be widely performed. Franz Peter Schubert

25992-542: Was an agnostic ), a symphony, and about 140 Lieder. In that year, he was also introduced to Anselm Hüttenbrenner and Franz von Schober , who would become his lifelong friends. Another friend, Johann Mayrhofer , was introduced to him by Spaun in 1815. Throughout 1815, Schubert lived at home with his father. He continued to teach at the school and give private musical instruction, earning enough money for his basic needs, including clothing, manuscript paper, pens, and ink, but with little to no money left over for luxuries. Spaun

26163-519: Was born in Himmelpfortgrund (now a part of Alsergrund ), Vienna, Archduchy of Austria , on 31 January 1797, and baptized in the Catholic Church the following day. He was the twelfth child of Franz Theodor Florian Schubert (1763–1830) and Maria Elisabeth Katharina Vietz (1756–1812). Schubert's immediate ancestors came originally from the province of Zuckmantel in Austrian Silesia . His father,

26334-488: Was characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms (namely vomiting). These issues all led Robert L. Rold to argue that (although he believed Schubert had syphilis), the fatal final illness was a gastrointestinal one such as salmonella or indeed typhoid fever. Rold also pointed out that when Schubert was in his final illness, his close friend Schober avoided visiting him "out of fear of contagion". Yet Schober had known of his earlier possible syphilis and had never avoided Schubert in

26505-521: Was first used by Austrian musicologist Raphael Georg Kiesewetter in 1834, although he only counted Haydn and Mozart as members of the school. Other writers followed suit, and eventually Beethoven was added to the list. The designation "first" is added today to avoid confusion with the Second Viennese School . Whilst, Schubert apart, these composers certainly knew each other (with Haydn and Mozart even being occasional chamber-music partners), there

26676-535: Was later adopted by Weber in Euryanthe and from him handed down, through Marschner, to Wagner), formed the basis from which French and German romantic opera had its beginnings. The most fateful of the new generation was Ludwig van Beethoven , who launched his numbered works in 1794 with a set of three piano trios, which remain in the repertoire. Somewhat younger than the others, though equally accomplished because of his youthful study under Mozart and his native virtuosity,

26847-436: Was less emphasis on clear musical phrases. In the classical period, the harmonies became simpler. However, the structure of the piece, the phrases and small melodic or rhythmic motives, became much more important than in the Baroque period. Another important break with the past was the radical overhaul of opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck , who cut away a great deal of the layering and improvisational ornaments and focused on

27018-485: Was much more than an easy-going tune-smith who did not know, and did not care, about the craft of composition." Each sonata then in print, according to Krenek, exhibited "a great wealth of technical finesse" and revealed Schubert as "far from satisfied with pouring his charming ideas into conventional moulds; on the contrary he was a thinking artist with a keen appetite for experimentation." That "appetite for experimentation" manifests itself repeatedly in Schubert's output in

27189-413: Was not significantly greater than Baroque movements. There was not yet a clearly enunciated theory of how to compose in the new style. It was a moment ripe for a breakthrough. The first great master of the style was the composer Joseph Haydn . In the late 1750s he began composing symphonies, and by 1761 he had composed a triptych ( Morning , Noon , and Evening ) solidly in the contemporary mode. As

27360-522: Was not wasted, as Haydn, beginning quite early on his career, sought to press forward the technique of building and developing ideas in his music. His next important breakthrough was in the Opus 33 string quartets (1781), in which the melodic and the harmonic roles segue among the instruments: it is often momentarily unclear what is melody and what is harmony. This changes the way the ensemble works its way between dramatic moments of transition and climactic sections:

27531-497: Was overshadowed by Niccolò Paganini 's first appearances in Vienna shortly after. In the midst of this creative activity, his health deteriorated. By the late 1820s, Schubert's health was failing and he confided to some friends that he feared that he was near death. In the late summer of 1828, he saw the physician Ernst Rinna, who may have confirmed Schubert's suspicions that he was ill beyond cure and likely to die soon. Some of his symptoms matched those of mercury poisoning ( mercury

27702-465: Was part of a close-knit circle of artists and students who had social gatherings together that became known as Schubertiads . Many of them took place in Ignaz von Sonnleithner 's large apartment in the Gundelhof (Brandstätte 5, Vienna). The tight circle of friends with which Schubert surrounded himself was dealt a blow in early 1820. Schubert and four of his friends were arrested by the Austrian police who, in

27873-520: Was particularly opportune, for Schubert had just made the unsuccessful application for the post of Kapellmeister at Laibach, and he had also decided not to resume teaching duties at his father's school. By the end of the year, he became a guest in Schober's lodgings. For a time, he attempted to increase the household resources by giving music lessons, but they were soon abandoned, and he devoted himself to composition. "I compose every morning, and when one piece

28044-566: Was poised for a series of successes, notably his late oratorios and London symphonies . Composers in Paris, Rome, and all over Germany turned to Haydn and Mozart for their ideas on form. In the 1790s, a new generation of composers, born around 1770, emerged. While they had grown up with the earlier styles, they heard in the recent works of Haydn and Mozart a vehicle for greater expression. In 1788 Luigi Cherubini settled in Paris and in 1791 composed Lodoiska , an opera that raised him to fame. Its style

28215-469: Was probably Schubert's first visit away from home or school. Schubert's unhappiness during his years as a schoolteacher possibly showed early signs of depression , and it is virtually certain that Schubert suffered from cyclothymia throughout his life. In 1989, the musicologist Maynard Solomon suggested that Schubert was erotically attracted to men, a thesis that has been heatedly debated. The musicologist and Schubert expert Rita Steblin has said that he

28386-504: Was rejected: Domenico Barbaia , impresario for the court theatres, largely lost interest in new German opera due to the popularity of Rossini and the Italian operatic style, and the failure of Carl Maria von Weber 's Euryanthe . Die Verschworenen ( The Conspirators , D 787) was prohibited by the censor, apparently because of its title, and the play Rosamunde, Fürstin von Zypern , for which Schubert had written incidental music (D 797),

28557-406: Was relatively good, and his duties teaching piano and singing to the two daughters, Marie and Caroline , were relatively light, allowing him to compose happily. Schubert may have written his Marches Militaire in D major (D. 733 no. 1) for Marie and Caroline, in addition to other piano duets. On his return from Zselíz, he took up residence with his friend Mayrhofer. During the early 1820s, Schubert

28728-438: Was then a common treatment for syphilis, again suggesting that Schubert suffered from it). At the beginning of November, he again fell ill, experiencing headaches, fever, swollen joints, and vomiting. He was generally unable to retain solid food and his condition worsened. Five days before Schubert's death, his friend the violinist Karl Holz and his string quartet visited to play for him. The last musical work he had wished to hear

28899-639: Was welcomed with enthusiasm. It was during this tour that he produced the seven-song cycle Fräulein am See , based on Walter Scott 's The Lady of the Lake , and including " Ellens Gesang III " ("Hymn to the Virgin") (D. 839, Op. 52, No. 6); the lyrics of Adam Storck's German translation of the Scott poem are now frequently replaced by the full text of the traditional Roman Catholic prayer Hail Mary ( Ave Maria in Latin), but for which

29070-511: Was well aware that Schubert was discontented with his life at the schoolhouse, and was concerned for Schubert's development intellectually and musically. In May 1816, Spaun moved from his apartment in Landskrongasse (in the inner city) to a new home in the Landstraße suburb; one of the first things he did after he settled into the new home was to invite Schubert to spend a few days with him. This

29241-438: Was withdrawn after two nights, due to the play's poor quality. Despite his operatic failures, Schubert's reputation was growing steadily on other fronts. In 1821, the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde finally accepted him as a performing member, and the number of performances of his music grew remarkably. These performances helped Schubert's reputation grow rapidly among the members of the Gesellschaft and established his name. Some of

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